Kindness Matters

By Aaron Murray
Sharing a Bite
My mother packed me a peanut-butter sandwich
Yogurt, cookies, and a white napkin
The teacher calls for lunch, I am famished
I grab my lunchbox, quickly unpacking

Across from me sits my friend

His name is Fred, and he is ten
He sits with no food, his plate is empty
I ask why, he said he had plenty

But something happened to his food

Some no good thief had taken his lunch
It was like it had grown a pair of shoes
And walked away, leaving him hunched

He sat there, saddened, his stomach grumbling

I sat there, thinking, my head was tumbling
My cookie had split, it lay there crumbling
A lightbulb lit up in my head while Fred’s belly lay rumbling

I hand him a cookie, half of my sandwich

He smiles warmly, I can tell he is thankful
We both dig in, and we make my lunch vanish
Lunch tastes better with a friend
And in the end, we’re both full
Flying a Kite
Kite, oh kite, you fly high in the sky
Blowing with the wind, you tumble up and down
Kite, ol’ kite, oh how you fly
As you whip and zip and fly low to the ground

Kite, oh kite, please do not go

My hand had slipped, and I was too slow
Kite, ol’ kite, why do you leave me for a tree
We had so much fun, and now you flee

Kite, oh kite, I have acquired a friend

He will help you down, he will fix you again
Kite, oh kite, you will be made new,
I’ll take you into flight, amid the morning dew

Kite, oh kite, my friend said goodbye,

with a wave of his hand He was on his way,
Kite, oh kite, I said thanks to the man
He said no problem, don’t mention it
What a man, what a man
 Carpool
My dad’s truck broke down.
I didn’t know how to get home
His tire had ran aground.
I knew my address, my number, but who would be on the phone?
His speaker’s, they produced no sound.
I stood in the carpool lane, I was all alone
His car, it was in the pound.
What had I done to deserve this, how could I atone?
Whatever the reason, he wasn’t here.
Timothy beckoned me to his car
It was sad enough to bring me a tear.
I was saved! Like a shooting star.
I had been waiting, and waiting, and I was beginning to fear
I would not have to walk far,
Would this happen the entire year?!
Through the kindness of his heart
I had boarded his house car
My friend Timothy, he had gotten into his van
I felt like I was a guest star
See? His family was sensible, they had a plan
Timothy turned around, he saw I was in the middle of a land
Thank you Timothy.
With no guide, no passage, not even a compass in hand
 Ostarius
My job in life?
Holding the door.
Does it cause me strife?
Not anymore

I have grown to appreciate

The simple gesture that is
Holding the barrier that separates
You from this.

Whether it be a hotel entrance

Or the hospital floor
It will always be in my interest
To hold the door.

In times of emergency
Or in times of luxury.
Times of urgency
Or when you have your groceries
It fulfills me to be of help
For those who cannot open it themselves
A simple gesture, but a helpful one indeed
 Lifted up
Oof
Bump
Boom

Ouch!
Crash
Ooooh…

On the floor, sprawled about

Tripped, fell, I just want to shout

Snickers, smirks, giggles, they hurt

They stand around smiling, laughing at this squirt

Stuck in a situation of my own mistake

And all I receive from others is ridiculing hate

Until a hand breaches the crowd, reaches out, a saving vessel

I grab on, tightly to it. An angel.

Up on my feet with the help of the man

I no longer have to flee, I can finally stand

I gratefully say thanks, his help was grand

He says no problem, he’s always glad to lend a hand
Moms
Moms rule.
That’s just the fact.
Mom’s rule, and that’s just that.
Want to know why?
I’ll tell you why.

They take you to school

They take care of you too.
Serving you food,
Believing in you.

Rooting for you during that soccer match

Being the cushion when you crash
Lifting you up, always having your back
Buying you a Halloween eyepatch

They allow you to dream

Allow you to gleam
Allow you to scream
“Can I have ice cream?”

Mom’s put up with all of us

Despite this, they love all of us
We should thank them, all of us
They deserved it, took care of all of us.
 Playmates
An only child, no one to play with
Sad days playing with a imaginary friend
Half of the toys sitting wasted.
Lonely and sad, that’s how it ends
If not for the wonder
That is called sharing
“What is sharing” you ponder,
Well I don’t mind explaining
If you have excess
(And that means too much)
Then give some away!
(It doesn’t have to be a bunch)
Like a toy you don’t play with
Another kid likes it
It’s his favorite swordsmith
But he doesn’t have enough to buy it
Give it away, give it away
It’ll make his day
And you’ll, in the end, will have a partner to play
Sharing is like a chocolate bar
You can split it in half, you can split it more
Until you have little bitty pieces
Give it away to all those who need it
And when you plop your last piece into your mouth
It’ll still taste the same, sweet like caramel
And you would have gained from it yourself:
The good feeling from sharing is mythical
Inclusivity
Two little boys, playing with their toys
A third comes along, asks if he can join
The boys nod yes, of course he can
Three little boys, playing with their toys

A quiet little girl comes along to the boys

“Can I play with the toys with you?”
“Of course you can! That’d be grand!”
One little girl, three little boys, sitting around ,playing with their toys

The telephone rings, one of the boys rushes inside

He says it’s Rajeev, he’s calling from Westside
Across the entire country, he dialed up the number
He only has one question, “won’t five be funner?”
One little girl, one boy on the telephone, three little boys sitting
around
All playing together, all playing loud, all running around, all having
fun
What a sound, what a sound, what a sound.
Fathers
Fathers o’ fathers,
The old man that you bother
The old man that wants you to prosper
The old man that pushes you to go farther

Fathers o’ fathers,
The one to play catch with you,
Take you out to ice cream, drive you to school
Give you life lessons, teach you the tools
And maybe, occasionally, cooking you food

Fathers o’ fathers,
74 million in the United States
A lot of dads that help guide your fate
Nurturing the future generation to be more great

Fathers o’ fathers,
The big man in your corner
Refreshes you, takes care of you
A mentor, a father.
 Thank you!
Thank you lord for waking me up
Thank you for filling my cup
Mmm, warm milk is yum
Thank you for the cow that provided this
Thank God the Lord for I am blessed

Thank you for the food

Thank you for the shoes
Proving me funds so I can have fun
Paying for my trip
Giving me a tip
Thanks to my mom for rocking me in the crib

Say thanks more often

Say thanks to the workers
Say thanks to the mothers
Say thanks to all others
And the World will soften
…And thank you for reading these poems
:)